Episode #59 of the Data Center Go-to-Market Podcast features how to
- Identify strategies to reach and connect with data center decision-makers
- Develop buyer personas and understand key stakeholders in the decision-making process
- Create a content strategy to position your sales team as trusted experts and consultants
- Explore opportunities for effective collaborations with non-competitive partners
- Evaluate the feasibility of starting a hosting or cloud company in underserved niches
- Improve your company's branding and messaging to reflect a consultative sales approach
- Understand the importance of upskilling your sales team to have insightful conversations
Outline
Joshua Feinberg from DCSMI discusses the evolving landscape of data center sales, emphasizing the importance of early engagement with potential clients through educational resources. He highlights the need for companies to understand their ideal client profiles and buyer personas, leveraging data from successful projects and market research. Feinberg advises against relying solely on outbound sales tactics and instead advocates for building trust and expertise through content creation and events. He also stresses the importance of collaboration with non-competitive partners and the necessity for sales teams to upskill and become consultative experts in their field.
Action Items
- Create a content strategy to position the sales team as consultants and subject matter experts.
- Research to build an ideal client profile and identify key buyer personas.
- Explore opportunities to collaborate with non-competitive partners of similar size.
- Evaluate the feasibility of starting a hosting or cloud company focusing on underserved niches.
- Review and update the company's branding and messaging to reflect the sales team's new role as trusted advisors.
Outline
Reaching Data Center Decision Makers
- Joshua Feinberg emphasizes the importance of creating educational resources to engage potential clients early in their buyer's journey.
- Companies should aim to stay with clients throughout the 28 touchpoints, not just at the end.
- Joshua highlights the need for companies to move beyond sharing PDFs of product catalogs and spec sheets.
- Effective strategies include leveraging website reviews, recommendations, testimonials, and case studies to build an ideal client profile.
Understanding Buyer Personas and Stakeholders
- Joshua explains the importance of identifying key stakeholders and buyer personas within a company.
- Companies should prioritize their most important buyer personas, including primary, secondary, and negative buyer personas.
- Research is crucial to understand the goals, challenges, and frustrations of decision-makers.
- External research, including face-to-face or video conversations, is essential for gathering accurate insights.
Content Strategy and Event Hosting
- Joshua discusses the importance of creating and promoting content regularly to support decision makers.
- Hosting events and webinars can help build trust and engage potential clients.
- Collaborating with non-competing partners can enhance the reach and impact of events.
- Metrics to measure success include the number of attendees and the quality of engagement.
Collaborating with Other Organizations
- Joshua advises against revenue-based collaborations with early-stage companies without product-market fit.
- Light collaborations, such as guest blogging and hosting live streams, can be effective.
- It's important to partner with companies that are non-competitive and similar in size to avoid power imbalances.
- Building strong relationships and mutual trust is key to successful collaborations.
Connecting with Decision Makers
- Joshua stresses the importance of showing up as consultants rather than sales professionals.
- Webinars and live streams can help position companies as experts and build trust.
- Organic attendance at events is more effective than forced engagement through outbound calls.
- The goal is to engage decision-makers early in the buyer's journey and stay with them throughout.
Challenges in Cloud Hosting and Cloud Companies
- Joshua argues that starting a cloud hosting or cloud company is still a good idea due to market growth.
- Startups should focus on narrowly defined niches where incumbents are missing opportunities.
- Effective strategies include product research, user research, and creating awareness, consideration, and decision stages.
- The importance of being user-focused and having a strong product roadmap cannot be overstated.
Improving Branding and Messaging
- Joshua explains that brand is no longer limited to brand guides and logos; it's everything the marketplace says about the company.
- Companies need to show up early and often to build and defend their brand.
- Being seen as experts, educators, and trusted advisors is crucial for brand success.
- Upskilling sales teams to have insightful conversations and add value to prospects and clients is essential.
The Role of Sales Teams in the Future
- Joshua highlights the need for sales teams to reposition themselves as experts and consultants.
- Companies should support their sales teams with training and knowledge to have great conversations.
- Understanding different business models and ecosystems is crucial for sales professionals.
- The level of upskilling required is profound, and companies need to invest in their sales teams' development.
Conclusion and Call to Action
- Joshua reiterates the importance of showing up as experts and consultants in the data center space.
- Companies need to support their sales teams with the training and knowledge they need to succeed.
- The Data Center Go-to-Market Podcast is sponsored by DCSMI, elevating the role of sales, marketing, and go-to-market professionals.
- Listeners are encouraged to subscribe to the Data Center Sales and Marketing Newsletter for updates.
Resources
- Connect with Joshua Feinberg, CEO at DCSMI, on LinkedIn
- Follow DCSMI on LinkedIn
- Follow the Data Center Go-to-Market Podcast on LinkedIn
- Learn About DCSMI
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